The Foreign Service Journal, October 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2015 59 AFSA NEWS FSO Lucy Chang Receives 2015 George F. Kennan Award On June 12, AFSA Foreign Commercial Service Vice Presi- dent Steve Morrison presented this year’s George F. Kennan Strategic Writing Award to Foreign Service Officer Lucy Chang at the National War College in Wash- ington, D.C. During the year- long program, three of Chang’s papers were selected “best in seminar” and one was nominated for NWC’s best regionally oriented strategy award. AFSA presents the Kennan award each year to an NWC graduate whose final paper has been chosen as the best essay on strategy or policy among State Department employees. The award is named for FSO George F. Kennan, who was the first deputy com- mandant of the NWC when he wrote his famous 1947 article, “The Sources of Soviet Con- duct,” which forever changed U.S. foreign policy. Chang’s first paper, writ- ten for her “Foundations of Strategic Thinking” course, focused on national secu- rity strategy from a Russian perspective. She identified Russia’s core interests and strategic priorities in the con- text of a rising China, NATO and European Union enlarge- ment and energy security in a multipolar world. She then assessed the coherence of Russia’s overall strategy for achieving those goals. An assignment for her “War, Statecraft and the Military Instrument of Power” course, Chang’s second essay analyzed the decision-making process that resulted in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. She described the incident as “a cautionary tale for today’s strategic decision-makers,” with lessons concerning the proper role of military and civilian authority in strate- gic planning and execution, the power of bureaucratic dynamics and domestic politics, and the dangers of unexamined assumptions. Chang wrote her final best- in-seminar paper for her “National Security Strategy Practicum” course. In this essay, she prescribed a U.S. strategy for pro- moting democracy and good gover- nance in Ukraine. She examined key challenges and threats to Ukraine’s democratic development and the impact of the EuroMaidan and civil society actions on the future of Ukrainian democracy in the face of continued Russian aggression. Finally, Chang’s individual strategic research project proposed a post-2016 transi- tion strategy for Afghanistan, encouraging regional coop- eration and integration, good governance and economic growth as a path toward a more stable, self-sufficient nation. An FSO for 15 years and counting, Chang has served in São Paulo, Hong Kong, Kigali, Guatemala City, Lis- bon, Baghdad, Bissau, Wash- ington, D.C., and New York. In August, she began her new assignment as the political- military affairs counselor in Kabul. n —Casey Knerr, Awards Intern The 2015 Kennan Award recipient, Lucy Chang (center), poses with AFSA Coordinator for Special Awards and Outreach Perri Green (left) and AFSA FCS Vice President Steve Morrison (right) at the June 12 National War College graduation ceremony. AFSA/CASEYKNERR for the 2015 fall semester were sent to 60 stateside and four overseas col- leges during the first week of August. The remaining $110,000 will be mailed in December to cover 2016 spring semester expenses. These need-based awards, together with the $42,250 in AFSA Merit Awards granted to high school seniors in May (see the July/August 2015 AFSA News), amount to more than a quarter of a million dollars ($260,250). This benefit is only offered to tax-dependent children, whose parents are AFSA members and active-duty, retired or deceased Foreign Service employees. Scholarship applications for the 2016-2017 school year will be available in November. The Financial Aid Scholarship deadline is March 6, 2016. A family’s assets and income will be considered when evaluating students’ applications. The deadline for the Com- munity Service and Aca- demic and Art Merit Awards is Feb. 6, 2016. Eligible students can apply one time only, as a high school senior. Not all candidates who apply will be given an award. Visit www.afsa.org/scholar for more information or con- tact Lori Dec, AFSA Scholar- ship Director, at dec@afsa.org or (202) 944-5504. n —Lori Dec, Scholarship Director Scholarship Aid • Continued from page 58